Pondicherry varsity students protest for 19th day

PUDUCHERRY: Students of performing arts department in Pondicherry Central University continued their protest for the 19th day demanding basic facilities in the department and removal of an assistant professor. The protesters locked up the classrooms.

According to the students,  the university is neglecting the department without even providing basic facilities. “We don’t have well furnished class rooms, make up rooms and materials, rehearsal area, lab, or a performing auditorium, but we are paying high fee which includes charge for lab and theatre that we don’t have” said a student. Students have also demanded the removal of assistant professor M. Subbaih, alleging that he is trying to create problems in the department.

“Being a central university, students from different parts of the country are studying here. But Subbaih, neglecting the repeated requests from students, says he will teach only in Tamil not in English,  and moreover he is not finding time to attend classes as he is acting in a Tamil serial,” the students say. Written complaints against Subbaih evoked no action.

“We will hand over the class room key to the university administration only after an official order removing the professor comes,” said Elambarathy, a Ph.D scholar of the department. The university Registrar in charge M. Ramachandran said things will be back to normal from Monday and classes will start again.

“The university had already constituted a three-member committee to look into the issue and it had completed the enquiry. Appropriate action will be taken once the  report is submitted” the registrar said.